by Captain Preston, and were withdrawn across the street to the
main guard. The drums beat; several companies of the Twenty-Ninth
Regiment, under Colonel Carr, promptly appeared in the street, and were
formed in three divisions in front of the main guard, the front division
near the northeast corner of the Town-House, in the kneeling posture for
street-firing. The Fourteenth Regiment was ordered under arms, but
remained at their barracks.

The report now spread that "the troops had risen on the people"; and the
beat of drums, the church-bells, and the cry of fire summoned the
inhabitants from their homes, and they rushed through the streets to the
place of alarm. In a few minutes thousands collected, and the cry was,
"To arms! to arms!" The whole town was in the utmost confusion; while in
King Street there was, what the Patriots had so long predicted, dreaded,
and vainly endeavored to avert, an indignant population and an
exasperated soldiery face to face. The excitement was terrible. The care
of the popular leaders for their cause, since the mob-days of the Stamp
Act, had been like the care of their personal honor: it drew them forth
as the prompt and brave controlling power in every crisis; and they were
among the concourse on this "night of consternation." Joseph Warren,
early on the ground to act the good physician as well as the fearless
patriot, gives the impression produced on himself and his co-laborers as
they saw the first blood flowing that was shed for American liberty.
"Language," he says, "is too feeble to paint the emotions of our souls,
when our streets were stained with the blood of our brethren, when our
ears were wounded by the groans of the dying, and our eyes were
tormented by the sight of the mangled bodies of the dead." "Our hearts
beat to arms; we snatched our weapons, almost resolved by one decisive
stroke to avenge the death of our slaughtered brethren."

Meantime the Lieutenant-Governor, at his residence in North Square,
heard the sound of the church-bell near by, and supposed it was an alarm
of fire. But soon, at nearly ten o'clock, a number of the inhabitants
came running into the house, entreating him to go to King Street
immediately, otherwise, they said, "the town would be all in blood." He
immediately started for the scene of danger. On his way, in the
Market-Place, he found himself amidst a great body of people, some armed
with clubs, others with cutlasses, and all calling for fire-arms